CINCINNATI — A few hours before the start of every series, the Phillies hold scouting meetings. The pitchers go over how to attack opposing hitters; the hitters review opposing pitchers. It’s a good time to bring up new topics or raise concerns.
As the hitters met Monday, Rob Thomson presented a few stats.
Even though the Phillies got shut out in back-to-back games in New York last weekend and scored a total of two runs in the last four games, the interim manager noted that they still ranked sixth in the majors in both batting average and slugging percentage with runners in scoring position. Conversely, they were tied for the eighth-fewest strikeouts in that situation.
“So, over the course of the year, we’ve been doing pretty well,” Thomson said later. “But you face good pitching and, you know ...”
Thomson didn’t have to complete his thought. With Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and fellow New York Mets starter Chris Bassitt in the rearview, at least until they visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend, the Phillies came to Cincinnati and regrouped. They were disciplined and opportunistic at the plate. And they got a big contribution from a bench player in a 4-3 victory over the stripped-down Reds in the opener of a three-game palate-cleanser.
Go ahead and dub this the “Edmundo Sosa Game.” Because with Kyle Schwarber out of the lineup again with a strained right calf and Bryce Harper taking batting practice back in Philadelphia, Sosa got a rare start and delivered two hits, drove in three runs, and made two slick plays at third base.
The Phillies’ bats awoke, if ever so briefly, against Reds starter Mike Minor, a former Vanderbilt classmate of pitching coach Caleb Cotham. They struck for six two-out hits and four with runners in scoring position, none bigger than Sosa’s two-run single in the third inning and RBI double in the fifth.
There wasn’t much offense after that. They could’ve broken open the game in the sixth inning, but Nick Castellanos struck out with the bases loaded. They had only one hit after the sixth inning.
But after the weekend the Phillies just had, it felt like a three-run third inning felt like a deluge of scoring.
When the Phillies acquired Sosa in a July 30 trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, they thought he could have games like this. He’s well regarded for his defense and a work in progress at the plate. But it has been tough to crack the lineup with Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm playing so well at shortstop and third base, respectively.
Thomson gave Bohm a turn as the designated hitter against Minor, a left-hander, and put Sosa at third base. It paid off when Sosa stayed back on a changeup and shot it into left field to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and cap a three-run rally with two out in the third inning.
Sosa flashed his usual defense to help starter Noah Syndergaard hold the lead. He dove to his right to take a hit from Jose Barrero in the fourth inning, then made a sliding stop in the hole behind second base with the Phillies playing a shift to gobble up Michael Papierski’s bid for a leadoff hit in the fifth.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sosa start again Wednesday in the series finale. Not only will the Phillies face another lefty, Nick Lodolo, but they will also have sinkerballer Ranger Suárez on the mound, another sensible opportunity for Bohm to be the DH and Sosa to play third base.
Regardless, Thomson will continue to remind his struggling hitters that they’re better than they fared against Scherzer, deGrom and Bassitt.
Syndergaard settles
Three of the Reds’ first six batters got hits against Syndergaard, who gave up two runs in the second inning. But he settled down from there, pounded the strike zone (61 strikes out of 78 pitches), and pitched into the eighth inning for the third time in 18 starts between the Phillies and Los Angeles Angels.
Syndergaard’s outing was notable for two other reasons:
First, it marked the first time all season that he pitched on regular (four days’) rest. The Angels use a six-man rotation that afforded Syndergaard at least one extra day of rest, a benefit considering he pitched two innings last season and missed all of 2020 after having Tommy John elbow surgery.
Secondly, Syndergaard altered his pitch mix. Again. After throwing 37 sliders last week against the Miami Marlins, he threw mostly fastballs. Although he continued to lean on his sinker, he used his four-seam fastball, a pitch that he mostly shelved in his previous start.
But Syndergaard was successful mostly because he was ahead in the count almost for the entire game. He threw first-pitch strikes to 24 of 28 hitters.
Stott’s a leading man
With three more hits, Stott continued to thrive in the leadoff spot. He’s 8-for-18 (.444) with a .500 on-base percentage in four games atop the order.
Schwarber ran before the game but wasn’t ready to return to the lineup. When he is, Thomson will have another decision to make about whether to keep Stott right where he is.
